1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beach towel stake for use in connection with anchoring devices. The beach towel stake has particular utility in connection with anchoring a beach towel in sand or soft earth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Beach towel stakes are desirable for anchoring a beach towel in sand or soft earth. It is a common practice for beachgoers to lay a beach towel or blanket on the ground so that they do not have to sit directly on hot sand. However, the position of the beach towel or blanket can be disturbed by gusts of wind, resulting in overturned corners or significant displacement of the entire towel or blanket. Objects such as coolers, rocks, shoes, piles of sand, or shells are sometimes used to combat this problem, but present a risk of tripping and prevent the items from being used for their more common purposes. Beach towel stakes overcome these difficulties by providing a secure means of fastening a beach towel or blanket to the ground so that it cannot be adversely affected by gusts of wind. Furthermore, the beach towel stakes can be placed flush with the ground so as to not pose a tripping risk.
The use of picnic cloth holders is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,718 to Disera discloses a picnic cloth holder. However, the Disera '718 patent does not have a catch hook, and has further drawbacks of lacking a viewing notch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,354 to Feigenbaum, Jr. discloses a blanket anchor that anchors a blanket in sand or soft earth. However, the Feigenbaum, Jr. '354 patent does not have a lanyard, and additionally does not have a viewing notch.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,798 to Pruitt discloses an apparatus and method for anchoring a covering that anchors various types of coverings to the ground. However, the Pruitt '798 patent does not have a lanyard, and does not have a viewing notch.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 398,514 to Anderson discloses a stake for anchoring a beach blanket that anchors a beach blanket to the ground. However, the Anderson '514 patent does not have a catch hook, and also does not have a viewing notch.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,525 to Ippolito discloses a combination stake anchored down beach and lawn blanket that anchors the blanket to either a beach surface or a lawn surface. However, the Ippolito '525 patent does not have a catch hook, and further lacks a viewing notch.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,813 to Wilburn et al. discloses an anchoring system for a beach blanket that anchors a beach blanket to the ground or sand. However, the Wilburn et al. '813 patent does not have a catch hook, and has the additional deficiency of lacking a viewing notch.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a beach towel stake that allows anchoring a beach towel in sand or soft earth. The above patents make no provision for a viewing notch. The Disera '718 patent, the Anderson '514 patent, the Ippolito '525 patent, and the Wilburn et al. '813 patent do not have a catch hook. The Feigenbaum, Jr. '354 patent and the Pruitt '798 patent lack a lanyard.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved beach towel stake that can be used for anchoring a beach towel in sand or soft earth. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the beach towel stake according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of anchoring a beach towel in sand or soft earth.